


A Second Chance

by TyBorb



Category: Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Genre: Gen, Original Character - Freeform, Other, more characters will be added as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:35:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26843743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyBorb/pseuds/TyBorb
Summary: Born of ash and bone, shunned by the world when she had sought acceptance from it, and forced to return to the land she was born into. The path of darkness was awaiting her, then a light shone and called out to her to a life of peace, warmth, and joy. She turned away from the darkness and accepted the warmth she sought and embraced it. ((Spoilers ahead if you have not played the game or watch a playthrough of Ori WotW))
Comments: 20
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the rewritten version of 'A Second Chance'. The old version will be linked here if you wish to read it: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23714434/chapters/56942713
> 
> I want to say I'm sorry for the lack of updates and for being so quiet, I've been hit with writer's block and just now got a burst of motivation. I'll try to get this moving again instead of leaving it for several months, heh.
> 
> //claps hands together  
> Alrighty, I have no idea what I should say next, so enjoy!

_‘To ash and dust, she returned…’_

The grey, ashen woods, although a land of sorrow and what remains of the Great Owls, was all that she could come back to, after the still-living owls told her to return to the forlorn graveyard, to the place she was born.

_“You’re not welcome here.”  
“Go back to the stone-turned land you were born in.”  
“You are not one of us.”  
“Children, do not look at it.”_

The words echoed in her skull, the stone over her face keeping them trapped and it felt as if it were growing heavier that soon it could topple her over. The weight grew more when she noticed small, furry creatures flee as she turned to them, their frightened squeaking bouncing off of the trees soon were drowned out by the rumble of thunder as a second wave of rain rolled overhead. Past the trees was the dead woodlands, her birthplace. She gazed at the moonlight peeking through the trees with an empty stare as the rain began to fall. Like the night she hatched, the rain was there to greet her as she walked past the threshold separating the ashen woods from the untouched, semi-alive trees.

The freezing rain was unnoticed, the stony carapace protects her fragile body from the cold and the rain simply rolls off. The mud was slick, but she knew the path that leads back to her safe place under her parents' wings was solid enough that she wouldn't have to worry about slipping. Stepping past the nest with the egg that would've been her sibling sitting silently, she slowed her pace and carefully walked under what would've been her father's wing and fell to her knees. She crawled the rest of the way to the stone-solid feathers and pressed her back against them, tucking the stone arm-like limbs against herself and curled in tightly, watching the rain fall before shutting her eyes and awaiting sleep.

_..._

Earlier, somewhere in the woods near the hollow where the great guardian of the marsh resides, the screeching of the owls alerted the residents. Some of the Moki that were outside scrambled into their homes, others that remained outside looked about in concern, holding rocks, branches, anything they could grab in preparation to fend off a potential raid. 

Nearby, in a larger home, a bipedal creature steps halfway outside of his house and looks to the sky. His fur was dark, but his mask, a single white eye, and the bright blue frills on his head and dotted markings on his chest stood out from the ever-growing presence of the night. He had no fur on his hands, feet, or middle, the fur on his chest was fluffier and thicker, the fur on his head took the shape of triangular-like ears, and a long tail trails behind and on the end where it flairs out was another mask, its eye socket black and empty. 

He stood at the entrance of his home, waiting for the signal to rush out and help the nearby Moki village if anything were to go wrong. He stood there for minutes, the sky growing darker after every moment, and it all went quiet. He listened. No crunching of the homes, no screams, no growls or snarls. 

_‘How unusual.’,_ he thought to himself. 

He was about to return into his home when he heard faint thuds of something walking somewhere in the trees. The door creaks as he slowly goes to close it, but keeps it cracked open for him to see what is outside. Then, a small white orb manifests in the darkness along with the sounds of sniffling and small whines. He opens the door a bit to watch the orb move through the trees, barely making out a shape around it. It was almost the height of an adult Moki, though it sounded heavier, and the shape looked wider and rounder.

While he couldn’t see what it was, it sounded like a child. He hurriedly grabs his shawl and rushes out of the door, closing it before going after the small creature, but it was already gone. How could it have moved so fast and so far? He did see it head northeast, towards the… dead woods. 

“Oh, dear…”

The Decay-ridden woods are certainly no place for a child to be, he must move quickly.

Down the path, he saw movement in the brush. Several green eyes flashed into existence in the darkness and they turned to him.

“Sihir?”

A voice squeaked out as an elderly, silver-furred Moki stepped out of the darkness.

“What are you doing out this far? You shouldn’t be here.”

“Neither should the child that came here. Did you see them?”  
Sihir said, shivering hands gripping the shawl as a breath of freezing air came through.

“You mean the small creature?”  
The Moki tilted their head slightly, both ears drooping right.  
“It’s headed into the silent woodlands,”  
They point a paw to a path, and their ears fall.  
“We tried to approach it, but it looked at us in a way like it didn’t want to be talked to, but it was a scary look. Too scary. We… we ran.”

Sihir sighs and looks to the path the Moki pointed to. The Moki aren’t so easily spooked, not these ones, especially when it comes to helping lost folks they’ve never met. They’re too nice to abandon someone. He knows. But what was it about this one creature that startled them? One look couldn’t be enough unless it was a terrifying beast. How odd.

“And,”  
The old Moki started again.  
“We smelled the Decay on it, and it looked like it could’ve been created by it, or at least changed. It walked with its arms, which didn’t look like arms at all. They were like stilts made of stone. It’s whole body looked like it was made of stone.”  
They paused for a moment, then their shoulders slumped.  
“We would’ve gone after it, but there’s something about its aura that intimidates us. Like… a harsh darkness coming off of it.”

He nodded and hummed to himself.  
“I can understand where you’re coming from... But it’s still a child. I’ll go after it.”

“What??”  
Their ears shot straight up.  
“You can’t go there, you have no experience in being in those woods. You could die!”

“Then tell me the safest path through.”  
The Inuwa looked at the old Moki with a stern look.

“It’s… Do you really want to risk going in there?”

“Of course. Someone went into those dead woods, somebody needs to go in there and get them out. I’ll be careful.”

Chewing their bottom lip, the Moki rubs their paws together. They’d try to convince him to turn around and go back home, but it’s not easy to change his mind. Sighing, they let their arms fall to their sides and they looked up at him.  
“I’ll show you the safest way, but if anything happens, we may not be able to help you this time.”

“I understand.”  
Sihir said calmly to reassure the Moki.

While most of the Moki protested his idea in going to the quiet woods, some saying to just leave the small creature, the elderly Moki led him to the grey-turned woodlands, the air growing colder with each step and the looming presence of rain fast approaching.  
They stopped right at the edge between both worlds and looked upon the dark landscape before them, a vast change from the heavily wooded area behind them. In the distance is what appeared to be a giant skull and in the mist behind it were towering objects, ominously in the shape of avian-like creatures. The trees look like gnarled skeletons, the soaked, mottled green and yellow moss clashing against the gray earth and puddles made by last night’s rainstorm reflected the last of the moon’s light as clouds rolled in. Mist drifted over the ground like ghosts, eerie shapes being seen within the translucent white curtain but whether it’s actual ghosts, living creatures, or illusions making it seem like the trees are moving, it’s hard to tell.

The silver-furred Moki turns to Sihir and warns him of the tar pools, thorns, and floating creatures that explode.

“We will be close. If needed, we will come in to aid, but outside of assisting you… Well, we will try to help in any way that we can.”

“Thank you. I’ll try to stay out of danger.”  
While his mask hid his face, the Moki would still hear the smile in his voice.  
“If I run into anything, I’ve got something to protect myself with.”

The Moki smiled, feeling slightly reassured. They turned and ran back into the safety of the trees where the others were.

Sihir turns his gaze back to the lonely, cold land before him and sighs shakily. He could feel the weight of this place, the air reeked with death and rot. Had it not been for the mask, surely he would’ve felt sick from the stench. Unfortunately, through the eye socket of the mask, he can still smell it. Swallowing thickly, he stepped onto the tainted soil and immediately froze as soon as the rain seeped into his fur. It was so cold, it sent shivers up his spine and the fur on his back, tail, and shoulders raised. It sounds exaggerated to say it knocked the breath out of his lungs, but it certainly felt like it did, like he fell into icy water.  
It took a moment to regain his breath before venturing further into the decaying land, pulling his shawl over his head. He silently told himself how much of a fool he was that he didn’t bring the parasol to shield himself from the rain.

It almost felt like hours, but he kept searching. The only place he would assume the child would be was in the graveyard of the Great Owls the Moki would speak of. The old Moki mentioned while walking to the owls’ old home that the creature had a strangely similar shape to the owls, its face looking like an owl’s skull and its little talons like the talons of an owlet, but it was so different, it was hard to tell if it was a reanimated corpse or a creature that took the form of a deceased owl. When he arrived at the edge of the graveyard, he was met with a ghastly sight. Skeletal remains of the towering owls stood tall, some shielding themselves and others attempted to flee. They were all facing in one direction, away from the moon, away from whatever wiped them all out. He wanted to turn away and return to the safety of the trees, back to his home where it was warm and dry. He wasn’t aware he was moving until he bumped into a tree, it felt like he woke up. The Inuwa then leaned against it, fearing he could stumble and fall.  
It was haunting to see these owls standing where they are as if they were statues, carved from stone to give this part of the woods an ominous tone, but they were once alive, they tried to flee, they tried to keep themselves safe… Sihir squeezes his eyes shut and turns his head away. He can’t leave now, the little creature is here. It doesn’t deserve to be in this melancholy land. He pushes on, looking underneath any bodies to see if the child is under any of them. 

While he didn’t find anything alive, he did see eggs in nests. Some were cracked open but they were now hollow, others were crumbling to dust or remained whole, and a couple of eggshells were on the ground, and beside them were newborn owlets that had become lumps, dying far too early.  
Body after body, finding nothing but emptiness, he was beginning to lose hope of ever finding the child. Ahead loomed the corpses of two owls, both shielding their nest. He would be crazy if he kept searching, he would freeze to death from the rain and air. He saw movement underneath the largest body, making him pause and watch the dark spot he thought he saw something move in. Something shone, something small, and it eventually disappeared. Could it perhaps be…? Hope swelled in his chest, but he kept that hopeful feeling back in case it isn’t anything. He closed his one visible eye, breathed in, and opened his eye again, and approached the skeletons of the giant owls.

_..._

The pitter-patter of the rain was soothing, but she couldn’t sleep. She shifted, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in, yet nothing seemed to work. She sighs and flops over, staring at the darkness under the wing of the other giant owl and closing her eyes again. Then, there was a sound of something outside of the shelter she hid in, and it was getting closer. The child‘s eyes open and she sits up and pushes herself further into the dark spot, using the darkness to shroud herself and watches for whatever could be out there, holding her breath.  
She whined when something approached her shelter, then a shadow leaned in and glanced over to where she was. It looked nothing like an owl, it was too small, its face was smooth and pale, not as pale as the faces of the owlets she met but it was lighter than the dark colors of the stranger, and only one eye could be seen, and it had what looked like spiky feathers on both sides of its head and two blue glowing feathers on its forehead. Is it bad? Will it hurt her? She could do nothing except clack her beak as a warning, but it didn’t seem to faze the stranger.

Sihir was relieved to have found the small child, hidden and safe from the rain, but the sight of something small huddled underneath a corpse was saddening. What a terrible place to hide in.  
He knelt down and was about to speak before the little one started clicking. 

“Shh, it’s alright. I’m a friend.”  
He spoke softly. He waited until the clacking stopped, or at least slowed down. He slowly stepped further into the shelter to get out of the rain, being careful to not slip on the slick stone.

The stone-borne child pressed her back against the wing and clacked her beak more and began to hiss when the tall stranger moved closer. The hiss echoed, it was distorted, sounding like a bone-chilling raspy voice. She wanted to be left alone, she was yelled at by what she thought would be her friends, her family. She was not meant to be with them, they aren’t like her, and she isn’t like them. The stranger should know that, too.

Sihir froze upon hearing the hiss. It struck fear into him and it made his blood turn cold. The whole time the small creature hissed, he felt as if his limbs were frozen, he couldn’t move. He’s heard creatures hiss before, but they were nothing like this, even the snappers’ hisses weren’t this daunting.

The hissing ceased and it all fell quiet, the whisper of the wind and the rain slowly breaking the silence and it became ambient white noise.

Like a spell that wore off, his shoulders relaxed and he slumped against the large rib cage, staring blankly into the wide white eyes of the little critter. As soon as the realization hit that it was no normal being, the clouds pulled away from the moon like a curtain, and the form of the child was revealed.  
Stone covering its tiny body, long limbs tucked close against it and broad shoulders with black tendrils hanging from them. The stone over its face was eerily similar to the skulls of the owls, it was like looking at a living skeleton. 

_‘We smelled Decay on it’_ , _‘It’s whole_ body _looked like it was made of stone’_ , the words of the old Moki echoed in his mind. 

How is it possible for any living thing to have stone on it that wasn’t armor? Unless this child was born this way, which shouldn’t… but maybe it…? 

His gaze was drawn to the nest the towering skeletons stood over, as if something drew his attention to it, and saw two eggshells gathering rainwater and an unhatched egg beside it, the shell stained grey from the ash that fell onto it and the rain soaking it in.  
The small, stone creature chose this particular couple to hide under, which could be its parents... 

If it’s true that it hatched from here, then… Sihir looks back to the darkness the little critter hid in, its eyes still wide but its clacking has stopped. He breathed out, not realizing he was holding his breath and one of his hands reached up to his chest and tightly clutched the heavy fur.

“You poor thing…” 

The silence between them felt like it lasted a long time. She watched as the tall stranger stared at her, then looked at the nest she hatched from. She followed his attention to it and back to him and her nervous stare met his sorrow-filled gaze.  
Suddenly his voice was more silent than before, it sounded strange. Before it was a different tone, now it’s something else. She hesitantly tilted her head, too scared to make sudden movements. The stranger wasn’t mean, he wasn’t loud or scary like the bigger owls. The fear she felt slowly faded, yet she was still nervous, still hesitant to do anything. She just stared, blinking once and softly clacked her beak, less threatening than before.

The skies above rumbled as dark clouds drifted in and shrouded the moon and the gentle wind began to strengthen. Sihir took that as a sign that he needs to get out of here and stood up, then reached a hand out to her.

“You shouldn’t stay here, in this lonely place. I have a home you can stay in. It’s warmer and safer than it is out here.”

She shrunk down, the clacking growing louder and the hissing began. No, she’s meant to stay here. She belongs here, not anywhere else.

“I can’t stay here with you, it’s not safe for me, but I don’t want to leave you here. It’s okay.”  
He knelt down and reached further into the darkness the child was curled up in. The air turned cold and he shivered.  
“Please, don’t make me leave you-”

Fearing something would happen, she emits a small yet shrill shriek that bounced off the corpses, making it louder than intended. She startled herself with the noise she made and stopped immediately, tucking the stilt-like arms closer with one eye peeking around them.

The shriek itself was terrifying, but the sound resonating off the stone and bouncing around made Sihir flinch and cover his ears. That was a not pleasant sound, his fur is standing on end again. He rubs his arms to smoothen the fur down and looks up as thunder roared overhead. He can’t be spending more time here…  
All this effort into looking for the child and nature is limiting his time with them. He looked at them, sighing sorrowfully, and stood up.

“I’m sorry…”

The Inuwa turns and hurries back to the safety of the trees just as large drops of rain began to fall.

She watched as the tall stranger left, shuffling out of her spot to see the rain grow heavier and heavier until it was nigh impossible to see. Large drops of rainwater from the beak of the giant skeleton fell onto her head and she scuttled back to where the rain can’t reach her. She then looked to the skull of her deceased parent, watching the rain stream down its empty eye sockets like tears. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes, listening to the pouring rain and was slowly lulled to sleep.

…

The Moki waited anxiously at the edge of the trees, hiding under them as the rain began to fall heavier. Some were on branches and keeping a look out for Sihir, but he hasn’t appeared yet.  
The elder Moki paced back and forth, their tail twitching and their claws scratching against their paws. Had he gotten stuck somewhere? Was he wounded? Is he lost? They looked up when the thunder rumbled and heard a squeak.

“I see him! He’s coming this way!”

The silvery Moki ran over to a tree and glanced around it to see a shadow manifest in the curtain of rain. They moved back as the Inuwa practically threw himself against a tree, resting against it to catch his breath.  
He was soaked, his fur hung heavy from the rain. Even his shawl didn’t keep him dry enough since it was heavy with rainwater, too.

“Oh goodness. You need to get home and dry off quickly. You’ll catch a cold.”  
The elder Moki takes a hold of Sihir’s shawl and gently tugs on it.

Sihir nodded and pushed himself off of the tree and headed down the path back to his home. Most of the Moki that were here had left as soon as he arrived, others stayed with him and were running with him back into the dense woods, staying under the canopy as much as possible to avoid the rain.

“Have you found the little one?”  
The elder Moki asked.

Sihir slowed down a bit to answer them.  
“Yes, but I couldn’t get them to come with me. I tried.”

The Moki nodded, whining softly.  
“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t have the time.”

The rain had lessened up a bit and it was enough for Sihir to bid farewell to the Moki and run back to his home. He opened the door, bolted in, and shut it quickly as another wave of rain carried by the wind was hurled against the house. He leaned against the door, his chest rose and fell with each breath he took, then slid his back against the door and sat. Outside, the wind howled and the trees rustled violently. Another night of possibly no sleep, but not from just the storm. The heavy feeling of the child left in the quiet woodlands weighed down on him, or was it the waterlogged fur? 

Sighing, he got to his feet and deposited the shawl onto a hook hanging from the wall and wrung parts of his fur out to dry them out before taking a large piece of cloth to soak up excess water. Once he was dry enough, he laid the cloth on a table and collapsed onto his bed, woven from grass, moss, and cloth to hold it together. He removes the mask from his face and drapes his arm over the side of the bed, still holding the mask and lays his arm over his torso as he stares at the ceiling. The hanging, luminous flora were dimming and barely glowing anymore from the lack of sunlight being shone on them, making the interior of the house dark, but the darkness doesn’t lull Sihir to sleep. He feels he couldn’t fall asleep yet. Instead, he stared at the empty space above him as the storm raged on outside. 

He began to think, wondering if perhaps he could return the next day and try again, that is if the storm had ceased by then. He’ll keep trying, but if there’s no way he can bring the child to safety… He can’t force them to, he shouldn’t. They’re scared, they need to gain his trust, but if that won’t happen, then there’s nothing he could do. He hopes there would be a way for him to befriend them. 

_‘Just get some sleep,’_ he thinks to himself, then shuts his eye with a soft sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have no idea how Ao3 works yet so I'm going to be a tad lost for a bit. Also, I'm going to be making slight changes to these chapters. If there's anything that needs to be changed or removed, lemme know and I'll get onto it!
> 
> Here's a ref of Sihir so ya'll can see what he looks like, https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/719292613722767400/808950788851499028/A_better_Sihir_ref.png


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning brought light showers that became a drizzle as morning turned to noon. The sun shone through the clouds and made the glistening trees, mud, and rock blinding and whatever warmth emanating from it brought steam.

The light of the sun had revealed damage the storm from last night had done to the decaying woods. Some of the owls that stood tall in death had now fallen from the heavy rain soaking the earth beneath, turning it into mud and unstable.  
Fragile trees were snapped in half, and the rainwater flooded parts of the quiet woodland. Some worm-like creatures wriggled to the surface to get air after the soil became drenched. Many of them were snatched up by the pouncers looking for a meal.

The stone-borne owlet was also searching for food, waiting by tiny gaps in the mud for any worms to resurface. If a pouncer attempted to steal anything from her, she would shriek at them and send them running. The sounds she makes appear to hurt their ears so they step away, but they don’t leave. Eventually, the pouncers attack by pushing her to the ground with threatening hisses, leaving her on the ground while they take the rest of what was around.

Every worm has been taken by those looking for food and the snappers move on, searching for something fattier than the worms. 

The child ventured further into the graveyard to search for anything else she can eat. There were shriveled grubs clinging onto branches, dried and lacking the fat to satisfy anyone’s hunger. When there were grubs big enough to eat, they were unfortunately all turned to stone. With a whine, she turns and walks away.

She looks to the woods that are full to the brim with leaves and sees the snappers scouring the edge of the territory. They know there’s something alive nearby, something they can get their teeth and claws on. Maybe something she can get to, too? She stalks from afar, watching the snappers, mimicking their movement. Stalking low, keeping herself as light as possible. What she didn’t do was see and avoid a concave in the ground. She stumbled forward and fell, letting out a grunt. She looked at the snappers and saw them looking at her. She laid still.

The thud alerted the pouncers, but they saw nothing. The infant was so well hidden thanks to her stony carapace, making her appear like another skeleton, the feral creatures were fooled. They scanned the graveyard for anything alive they can attack before moving on, unable to find the source of the grunt.

Once the pouncers continued on their hunt, she struggled to get up quickly to follow them. When she finally stood up, the feral creatures had vanished. Too slow to get up… Can’t follow them, she doesn’t know WHERE they went now, and they move too fast. Huffing, she turns and stomps back the way she came, breaking twigs and skulls of smaller creatures, kicking shards of bone and rocks, and making airy noises to herself. Looking up, she saw that the trees don’t look familiar, and there weren’t any skeletons where she was, but they were up ahead. She walked far. With a small squeak, she walks back to the graveyard she calls her home.

...

“You are a fool, you know. A _fool_.”

Remnants of rainwater fell from the trees after last night’s heavy downpour and the grass glistens from dewdrops clinging onto the blades. Sunlight breaks through the heavy clouds to shine light upon the woods but the dark blankets of water lazily drift over, shrouding the sun briefly. It won’t be long until they’ve all gone and leave the skies blue again.

The Moki residents are cleaning up the fallen debris and repairing roofs that sustained damage from the rain and wind. Those that have fixed their roofs and cleaned leaves, branches and fruits from the ground around their homes go on to help their neighbors. One had gotten his property back into shape, save for a garden that was drenched and several plants had drowned, and was gathering grubs and placing them into a woven basket. Two of the neighboring Moki had gone to check on him and found him gathering the grubs and asked what he was doing.

“I’m returning to the dark woods to give the little one some food. All of what was there has dried up or turned to stone, and it needs something alive and safe to eat,” was his answer.

One of the Moki was unsure, but the other was against the idea.

“Those woods do not welcome anyone, yet you insist on returning, for a _Decayling?_ ”

“For a _child_ , Oren.” Sihir corrected, plucking a fat grub from the trunk of a tree and placing it into the basket.

Oren scoffed and crossed his arms. “What you are doing is ludicrous. You said that it was quite clear it didn’t want you there. It prefers to be alone, Sihir.”

“Well, if it doesn’t want me there, that’s fine, but it’ll starve if it doesn’t have something to eat. I’m at least hoping it’ll see me as a friend and want to come back with me.”

“You’re still on about that? By the Light--” Oren smacks a paw against his forehead and sighs. “...Clearly something is wrong. Maybe the Decay has gotten into your head and it’s luring you back into those woods. Maybe you are Decayed and you’re trying to lure that thing here, to us.” The Moki accused.

The other Moki then spoke up, her brows furrowed as she looked at Oren with a disbelieved look. “Now that is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard. What on Thera brought that up?”

“His birth home, Miki. Ridden with curses and Decay. He said it himself.”  
Oren’s tail twitches.

“He has been here for five years. Nothing happened to us in that span of time!” Miki countered.

“Not yet,” Oren said flatly.

Sihir’s eye narrowed as he tightly clutched the basket. “What made you this way all of a sudden? All I said was that I was going to bring a child something to eat and you’re accusing me of being Decayed!”

“Nobody is foolish enough to return to a cesspool of darkness, nobody but its followers.” Oren pointed a finger at Sihir. “From the day you stumbled into Niwen, there was something about you that had my full attention on you. Then you mention the place you came from was cursed and taken over partially by Decay, and it all made sense. You came from a vile place, one I’ve heard of in stories from storytellers. You have cursed blood.”

Sihir lifts an arm up in irritation and it drops back to his side again. “Five years, Oren. Five. Years. Nothing has gone wrong. Cease your ridiculous accusations.” He adjusts the basket in his grasp and turns to leave. “If you had been cursed, or if I were Decayed, you would have known already.”

Miki bounded after Sihir, leaving Oren to mumble to himself as he turned and left as well.

“Would you like for me to come with you?” Said Miki once she caught up with Sihir.

“It’s unsafe for you,” Sihir said.

“Yes, but I can stay by the edge of the woods and if anything were to happen, I can go get help.” She looks up at him, standing on her hind legs and walking beside him. “Just having you go alone leaves me with a bad feeling, and I can’t have you go without someone nearby.”

“What about your pups?” He looks to Miki, slowing his pace.

“Fyn is with them. I asked her if she could watch over them while I helped clean up the debris.” She smiled reassuringly. “They’ll be fine. Ebby’s old enough he can help keep the little ones in check.”

Sihir chuckled and smiled. “Alright, but there’s a chance you may not hear me. Where I’m going is further in than the edge of the woods. I can fend for myself, but if anything were to happen, I’ll give you a sign.” Flicking a hand, an orb of light manifests and hovers over the palm of his hand.

Miki nods, puffing her chest out. “The second I see it, I’ll get help and I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Being as agile as you are, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

-

They now stood at the edge of the silent woodlands, where mist was starting to form. The sun’s light was still peering through the clouds and made the ground glisten brightly, making Sihir grunt disapprovingly and he held an arm up to block out the blinding light reflecting off the ground. Miki blinked as blotches clouded her vision and she shook her head.

“Goodness… it hurts to look.” The Moki shields her eyes with her arms and looks up at Sihir. “Do you need me to go back to get your parasol?”

“I’ll be alright. Thank you.” He looked to the east and exhaled. Just looking at the mist is giving him a bad feeling. Pieces of memories of being shrouded in mist are attempting to return. He follows the pattern of the wicker basket with a claw to bring himself back to reality. “I should get out there and look for them before I lose them.”

Miki looked at the Inuwa and sensed his unease. She leans over and gently bumps her forehead against his leg and emits a small chirp-like sound, feeling her friend sway to shift his weight a bit into a more relaxed stance.  
She looks to the desolate landscape, then frowns. Such an awful place… Her late grandmother had been a month old when the owls died, when the woods turned into stone. It’s exactly how she described it: cold, dark, and reeks of rot. And to know a child is here… The Moki lightly squeezed her eyes shut, then leaned away from her friend and looked up at him. “Be careful out there...”

Sihir breathed out in relief when Miki spoke. Hearing her voice was comforting. Even when she was standing beside him, he had a worrying feeling she would fade with the mist. She was still here, at least at the moment. He still needs to go into the silent woodlands. It shouldn’t be too long... He breathes in, then breathes out and looks at Miki. “I will.” He gives a reassuring nod and leaves the safety of the trees.

…

Where the dead trees end, the towering corpses begin. She’s not far from her nest, yet the walk back felt slow. Her stomach twisted from hunger. The shriveled grubs were tempting, but they won’t do much to satisfy her. She stops short of the path leading back to the nest and looks back, the desire to go into the woods for food growing stronger along with her hunger pains. Then, with a bold squeak, she turns back around, marching back the way she came.

From through the mist and rotting trees, she can see the woods and something else in the distance. She stopped to look at it and saw it was moving and heading her way. Shuffling to a nearby hiding spot, she watches as the silhouette gets closer until the shape of it manifests out of the mist. She recognized it as the tall stranger and saw he has something in his arms. He was running towards the way she came. She bobbed her head curiously as to why he came back. Maybe he brought her food? It was wishful thinking, but it’s encouraging her to follow. She emits a squeak to catch the stranger’s attention.

-

The mist had gotten heavier and it forced him to slow down. Why heavy mist? The last time he went through a wall of it, he ended up in Niwen. Sihir looked back several times to make sure that the safer woods were still there. Despite them still being in view, he still worries about ending up elsewhere again. 

...By the Light, he wasn’t sure if it’s the cold air, despite the presence of the sun, or if he’s scared, but he can’t keep his arms from shaking. He rubs his hands up and down his arms, either for warmth or to try to calm himself down. One part of himself wants to go back, another part ushers him on. Face his fear, all for them. For the kid. Sihir closed his eye and breathed in and out several times, then stopped by a fallen log to wait for the mist to clear. The way the fog drifts over the ground and how the shadows of the tall trees cast through it made it look as if something was moving in the mist, making shapes that looked unnatural or appear as towering silhouettes. He tries to convince himself that there was nothing there, but the faint howl of the wind and creaking of the trees in the quiet woodlands didn't help cease the paranoia. He wasn't scared enough that he was feeling weak, yet his shoulders were tense and the fur on his shoulders and neck were raised, his tail curled so the mask at the end of it was facing the opposite direction and an eye blinks open in the empty socket of the mask. His race has adapted for the harshness of Koshru's wilds before and during its current situation, being able to have a second eye on the end of their tail that is flexible so it can twist and curl in almost any direction and see foes and predators in their blindspots. Despite such a useful adaptation, it won't help him see through heavy fog, so he's still vulnerable to sneak attacks from creatures using the fog to be hidden.

Finally, the mist thins out from a breath of wind and the path becomes visible again. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sihir quickly moves onward, entering the last threshold of dead trees before he would find the owls again. The first place to look is the two skeletons that stood over their nest, shielding it from whatever killed them.

Then, something cries out. He stopped and looked back, and a small form appeared from behind a gnarled tree, and when the mist parts, he recognized it as the little creature, who stood in a crouched position.

“Hello there, little one! I didn’t think I’d find you out this far, but I can guess you’re looking for food.” He knelt down and held the basket in both hands. “Well, I have just what you’re looking for.” The basket got the child’s attention, he can see her tilting and bobbing her head in curiosity out of his peripheral. Flipping open the cover, inside were lively grubs, colorful and fat. 

The little creature stared wide-eyed. The grubs stood out from the monochrome landscape around her, varying in different colors that she’s never seen before.

Sihir sets the basket on the ground and pushes it toward her. “Go on, then. It’s all for you.”

She cautiously walks up to the basket and looks at the contents inside, watching them wriggle over each other. One crawls out and rears its head back to get a sense of where it is. She took the opportunity to snatch it up and chewed. It was juicy and squishy, it tasted so sweet. She made no hesitation to dunk her head into the basket and eat up more of the grubs, sending some flying.  
She pulled the basket down and dumped all of the grubs onto the ground but she continued to eat despite some of the crawling insects making a slow run for it. Her small stomach could only take in so much before she had her fill, and she leaned against the basket and sighs in relief. She would then jump back up when the stranger chuckled, dragging the woven object with her when she took a few steps backward. She clacked her beak in response.

Sihir flinched slightly when the child jumped and clacked her beak. He softly chuckled to himself. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” The little creature was still jumpy, but it sought out food, and it looked like it was going to the trees to look for some. Well, it won’t have to go far now that he gave it a basket of grubs to eat. “I wasn’t sure if what I had was enough, but looks like it was.” He motions to the half-empty wicker basket. He picked up a stray grub and shuffled over to the basket to flip it back over and to return the grubs into it, but flinched when the child let out an unsettling hissing.  
“There, there, it’s okay. I’m not taking it from you. I’m just going to flip it back and put the grubs back into it.” He spoke softly, reaching for the basket. He got a hold of it and turned it so the opening was facing him and began shoveling grubs into the basket. Sihir watched out of the corner of his eye as the child slowly let go but held on with a single claw.

The sun became shrouded by clouds again by the time last grub was dropped back into the safe, dark confines of the woven item and the lid was closed to prevent the beetle larvae from escaping. The child observed the basket, slipping her claws into the tiny gaps and tugged, then dragged it with her as she walked backward. Sihir wasn’t sure what she was doing. Either she was trying to take it back to her nest, or she’s just figuring out what it is by pulling it along.

She stopped and let go and nudged at the flap to lift it, then let it drop. She chirps happily, having figured out how the basket works. She slips her talons into the tiny gaps and dragged it again, this time towards the owl graveyard.

“You’re leaving already?” Sihir asked. He’s a tad disappointed the child didn’t want to stay, not giving him a chance to talk or befriend them. He sighs as his shoulders slumped. This didn’t go as he planned. The Inuwa stood up and approached the orphan. “If you want, I can carry this for you so you don’t have to drag it.”

She pauses and looks up at the stranger, then she brings the basket closer and narrowed her eyes.

That’s a ‘no’. With a defeated nod, he took a couple of steps back. “I’ll leave you to return to your nest, then. I’ll come back later to give you more food,” Sihir then rubs the back of his neck. “If I can find any more.” He murmured to himself. The grubs he found took all morning to find and catch. For being so common, they weren’t easy to locate, and any he did find he lost, robbed by birds and small animals, or crawled to safety where he can’t grab it.

The stone-borne owlet let out a wheeze-like noise and pulled the basket away again, not waiting for a response. 

That’s his cue to leave, too. Sihir turns and makes his way back to the trees, the path visible from through the rising steam. At least the mist became lighter, but he wasn’t going to take a casual stroll through. He was in a rush to get out of here before the mist got heavy again. 

…

It was a painstaking wait. He’d left not that long ago and already she was feeling antsy. Thoughts began running through her head.

What if he fell into a tar pit? What if the floaters got to him? What if he got lost? He would always get anxious when fog got heavy, maybe he’s-- She shook her head and rubbed her cheeks, groaning to herself. No bad thoughts.

Miki pauses to take deep breaths, smoothing out the fur that was raised due to her worrying. “It’s fine, Miki. He’ll be alright. He knows what he’s doing. Just relax, there’s no need to be this anxious.”

Her ears twitch when a yelp manifests out of the silence, followed by a tone of disgust. She peers through the brush to see Sihir pulling at something that was clinging onto him. She squeaked in concern and was about to run out there to help before stopping when he flung the tattered thing off and it landed on the ground with a wet flop, making the Inuwa shudder before he nearly broke into a jog, holding his arms against his chest as he approached the edge of the woods. A smile forms on Miki’s face and she bounds out of the trees, stopping just two Moki-lengths away from the trees to greet her friend.

“I’m so relieved to see you’re okay. Did you find them?”

Sihir nodded, then sighed. “I gave them the basket and they ate, but they didn’t stick around long. They took it and whatever grubs were left back to the graveyard.”

The smile on Miki’s face fell and her ears drooped. “Oh.” She looks to the ground and presses her front paws together. “You would think they would want to stay…”

“That’s what I thought, too. Maybe they’re still too shy.”

“Perhaps…” Miki said.

Sihir spoke again after a beat of silence. “I did tell them I’d come back to give them more food when they run out. I’m not sure if they understood, but,” He paused for a moment. “Maybe they’ll know I’m going to come back eventually.”

The mother Moki nodded. “Then they may see you’re not going to hurt them and befriend you.” She said with hope in her voice.

“I hope so. I just want to get them out of this place...” He looked at the dying land behind them with a sad gaze.

…

The bottom of the basket got caked with mud and was already showing signs of wear after being dragged. The child hauled the woven object into her hiding spot underneath the tallest corpse’s wing where it will be kept out of the elements. She headbutts it and pushes it against the edge of the wing, then she backs away. She stares at the basket, tilting and bobbing her head, her little body swaying when her head moves. The child walked up to it again and reached her claws out and grabbed the edge of it before bouncing up, trying to jump onto the top of it. She should climb on easily with how low the top is, but she’s a baby, she couldn’t figure it out yet. She did after a few attempts. She crawled on and lifted her upper limbs, tucking them underneath, and sat comfortably on top of the basket with a triumphant trill.

It was surprisingly warmer compared to the ground, and it wasn’t hard like the ground but it wasn’t all that soft either. But she was content with her new bed, one that has food inside. She wiggled a little, moving her arms closer, and closed her eyes to sleep off the food she ate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoof, this took far too long to update. I had to rewrite this chapter at least five or six times until I found the flow I could work with. Two months later, it gets posted at long last. Wooooo
> 
> I wanted Shriek to go back with Sihir in this chapter, but I had to change that and have her stay. She doesn't fully trust him yet, she's just glad he was there to provide food. Next chapter will be where she learns she can trust him


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3's gotten a small update, though I didn't want it to be longer. :v Oh well

By the next morning, the basket was empty, save for the uneaten pieces of grubs at the bottom. She dragged it to the spot she met the tall creature yesterday and waited for him to return, knowing he can provide food for her, and he did come back with another basket in hand and she was bouncing in place when he appeared, eager for more food. The basket wasn’t as big as the one he brought yesterday, but it had a bountiful amount of grubs. He gave the entire basket to the child and took the larger one back so he could refill it when the other one would get empty. The child stayed this time, though standing a small distance away as she feasted on the large grubs. Sihir was fine with that, it meant to him that she was slowly getting used to his presence, but it was still a ways away before she could fully trust him.

For the time they sat just a couple of meters away from each other, Sihir would talk to her. He was taught how to baby talk thanks to Miki since he has little experience in talking to a baby. It was awkward since he seemed to be getting ignored because the little one was more fixated on her food, but she did look at him in between bites and sway her head before turning her attention back to her breakfast. When she was finished eating, she perched comfortably on the edge of the basket with her attention now on him, responding with head tilts, bobs, and chirps.

Earlier when Sihir arrived, the sun was still rising over the horizon, and now the sun had almost reached its zenith and the time came for the two to part ways for now. The child wasn’t against it, but she did look disappointed that he had to leave. She took the basket and began to drag it back to the nest before Sihir could offer to carry it for her and she gave him the same “back off” look from yesterday when he offered to carry the other basket. Both then went their separate ways as light clouds began to drift over the landscape.

For the next five days, he would return, and the child started to interact with him more outside of just making noise. She would venture farther from their usual meeting spot but never stray too far from all the available hiding spots until she sees Sihir and she would hop and waddle up to him. He’s happy with the progression. She’s no longer wary and seems to be happy she has someone that comes to visit and she has learned his name, making noises in an attempt to say his name whenever she would see him. He’s given her his shawl to wear for one night since it felt like it to get cold, and the following morning she tripped over it when she was running up to him. She ran on her feet the rest of the way, her stone stilts barely off the ground. She seemed attached to it, holding the bottom of it with her talons to wrap it around herself to mimic how Sihir would wrap it around himself, so he let her keep it for now until he has to take it back to wash it.

… 

The woods today were ominously quiet when Sihir returned to the barren landscape. The child wasn’t waiting for him where he would expect her to be and the basket wasn’t there. ‘Perhaps they slept in,’ he thought to himself and walked further into the Decay-infested woods. At least the fog wasn’t as thick as it was before.

Suddenly, a shriek rang out, followed by screams of various creatures. The shriek was familiar, causing the fur on his shoulders to stand on end. Fear swelled in his chest, but not from the sound itself, instead, what could be happening. He hurried to the source of the shriek and saw shapes moving swiftly ahead, bright yellow frills raised like the fur on the back of a canine as they circle something. Pouncers. Once closer, he can see what they were circling is the child, who was dangerously close to a tar pit. The Inuwa acts quickly, orbs of light manifesting around him as he dashed to the pack of feral reptiles. One sees him and screeches at him, but it gets a mouthful of searing hot light when an orb flies into its open maw.

The pouncers turn, then hiss and screech, their attention is drawn away from the child. She takes it as her cue to run and hide, stepping over the body of a recently killed pouncer, its head caved in from a brute force.

Three of the pouncers lunged for their foe, but were slammed in their chests by orbs of light. Two had the breath knocked out of them and the third quickly got back onto its feet. It rears its head and shrieks, calling forth its packmates to gather and prepare to fight, joined by the two that were hit the hardest. The pack grew to seven, each snarling and hissing with eyes wide with primitive anger.

The four monsters in the front of the pack charge forward, semi-translucent pink saliva coating their teeth. With a swing of an arm, Sihir casts the orbs of light towards them and strikes one directly between the eyes while the other three veer to evade the oncoming attacks and continue toward their opponent.

A strong bite on his leg startled him, causing him to gasp and flinch. The fur was heavy enough to keep the teeth away from the skin, but the claws could get past the fur. With the orbs reappearing by his side, he swung an arm and the orbs followed the direction his hand was facing, one pouncer being swept off its feet and pummeled by two orbs and the third orb zipping around, distracting the other frilled critter. The pouncer holding onto Sihir is quickly picked up by the tail by the Inuwa, being pulled to get it to let go while the critter tries to hold on. The fur, being loose enough, prevented it from holding on and it was yanked away from the leg it held onto, taking a small mouthful of fur before being flung towards the ground, hitting the slick earth with a harsh smack and fell unconscious.

Two down, five left standing. He has to end this now. With only the orbs of light as his strength against the Decaylings surrounding him, it won’t be easy. 

A chittering snarl turns into bark-like sounds that are followed by snarls. The critter to the front huffed, venom and saliva splattering onto the ground, and scratched its claws on the ground before letting out a shrill screech and charged, the pouncers behind it following close behind. Sihir slouches forward and casts the orbs towards the charging monsters, one struck a pouncer directly in the face, causing it to stumble and roll and flail its limbs around, blinded and unable to fight. A couple more pouncers tripped over each other to evade Sihir’s attack but they quickly got back up. 

With the orbs of light doing very little damage, Sihir is left with three other options. Fight physically, use the environment, or run. A smart person would choose to run, but pouncers are very agile and could catch up. The only option is to fight. He dashed to the nearest area filled with objects to use to fight and the pouncers giving chase. He spots and reaches for the nearest thing, a bone that was half his height. The Inuwa swings the bone at the charging snappers, missing them by a hair, but it got them to slide to a halt. Now he stands, holding a bone like a club and the pouncers stalking forward, jumping back each time Sihir swung at them, but they were making him step backward until he was against the melded feathers of a dead owl and all exits blocked off by the remaining four pouncers. 

The largest pouncer huffed and leapt at its opponent. Sihir reached out and grabbed the small monster’s head and threw it to the ground, then stepped onto its back to hold it down and swung at two of the pouncers that took the chance to try to ambush him. He paused a moment. Where’s the third one? He didn’t see it sneak up and slash at him, its claws scraping the exposed skin where a patch of fur was missing. He let out a grunt of shock and pain, stumbling to the side and freeing the pouncer he kept pinned to the ground.

Their foe is distracted, now is the moment to strike. The Decay-borne creatures lunge and latch their teeth onto Sihir, trying to reach parts where the fur isn’t protecting him from their claws and teeth. Their opponent’s limbs are longer than theirs and are protecting his weak points, and the monsters were being thrown and kicked off and being smacked by the bone he held. Yet they won’t give up so easily.

From her hiding spot, the child watched as her tall friend fought the small beasts that had harassed her. He was having a hard time fighting them. How unfair! She inhales sharply and runs out of her hiding spot, screeching to turn their attention to her. It did. She squeaked when three of the creatures charged at her, leaving the fourth to fight Sihir. She turned and shrieked when she tried to hop to safety.

The pouncers chasing the child get their rear-ends hit hard by searing hot objects and they shriek in alarm, turning to face what attacked them. They see Sihir holding their packmate by the tail, then they hiss when they watch him toss their packmate into the air and smack its head hard with the bone, the critter falling to the ground limply. Their tall, furry opponent turns to face them, holding the bone weapon in preparation to swing it at them. It’s still three against one. The child would’ve gotten away, it wasn’t as big of a threat as the tallest one that wields the light. 

The pouncers screech and sprint to their tall foe, the translucent pink venom once again covering their teeth. Sihir narrows his eye, waiting for the pouncers to get close and he holds the bone high as if ready to use it on them. Then, once they got close and leap at him, he leaped to the side and heard the critters hit the wall, followed by surprised squeaks. He stood back up quickly and turned to the shin-high creatures to find one with its teeth on another’s front leg, both hissing and screeching at each other while the third crawled out from beneath the pair and chitters in frustration.

It must be bad to have the attention span of a young Moki in the midst of a fight. It’s unfair, but they weren’t being fair in the first place.

Sihir rears his arm back, the orbs of light follow and float behind, then launch forward when he swung his arm forward. The chittering pouncer turns its head seconds before it gets thrown into the air, the orbs pushing it higher off the ground with one gradually lifting it higher before moving back, and another coming in to hit the pouncer's soft underbelly. The reptilian creature is clobbered as the orbs begin hitting it faster, nearly merging into a circle, then with a final blow, the monster’s jaw is smacked and it falls limply to the ground. The bickering monsters cease their arguing to stare at their deceased packmate’s fading body and look to Sihir. He took a step forward and the two creatures yelp, the bitten one yanking its limb out of the other’s teeth and they both flee.

 _‘Really?’_ Sihir thought as he watched the axolotl-like critters flee, surprised that they had given up that fast, and the orbs faded and blinked out of existence. He winced when he moved his wounded leg and pressed his palm over the cut to cease the bleeding. It stung, but at least no venom got close to it. The buggers had managed to scratch his hands and middle, but not as bad as the scratch on his leg. They’ll just need to be taken care of as soon as possible. He turned his head to search for the owlet, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “Little one, it’s alright. They’re gone now.” He spoke softly to coax the orphan out of hiding.

The stone-covered owlet peeks out from around a stump and scans her surroundings, looking to see if all the frilled reptiles were gone before stepping out of her hiding spot, her frightened white eyes looking to Sihir and she runs up to him, squeaking until she butted her forehead against his knee and grasps the fur on his leg. She chirruped when he knelt down and wrapped his arms around her, feeling the rhythmic pat through the stone on her back that washes away her fear. She felt safe. She then felt Sihir pull away and flinched when his hands slipped under her wings and was picked up off the ground. Her legs kicked the air until she was laying against the soft fur on Sihir’s chest with one of his arms supporting her legs and a hand rested against her back, the tapping resuming once more. The child’s eyelids began to droop and she nuzzled into Sihir’s shoulder, barely wrapping her stone limbs around his arms in a hug.

The Inuwa stood there with the infant in his arms, going by instinct to comfort her. She didn’t look hurt, just scared, but seeing her surrounded by the pouncers scared _him_. She’s safe now, safe in his embrace and away from harm. He breaths out silently and walks over to the stump and sat, leaning back slightly so the owlet is laying against his chest. He began to regret that decision; there’s nothing to support him and his back was beginning to ache from the muscles fighting to support him and the stone-borne child. He leaned back forward while keeping a hold of the little creature. He could sit on the ground, but then he’d have a hard time getting back up. For now, he sits partially slouched so the child is elevated enough that she’s not leaning back too far.

…

Sihir wasn’t sure how long he sat there for at first, but he noticed that the sun was slightly more eastward, so he hadn’t been there for too long, though time did feel slow in the Silent Woods, so it’s hard to tell how long one had been here. He knows he can’t stay here for long, but he can’t just take the child with him, not without her consent, and she’s asleep. Or she was. He felt her move against his chest and looked down as she let out a yawn. She looked around, then up at him.  
“Hello there, little one,” Sihir said softly. “Do you feel any better?”

The child replied with a slow, tired blink. She shifts around in Sihir’s hold and looks back, the path through the looming trees leading to the lush, green land on the other side. Where Sihir comes from must be safe. She wants to be there, away from the snappers. She turned to look at the Inuwa and blinked before pointing with one of her stone limbs to the edge of the leafless trees. She wants to leave with him.

Sihir looks to where she’s pointing for a moment and back at her. “You want to go now?” When she gave him a nod, he smiled from behind his mask and adjusted her in his arms before standing up, wincing from the stinging pain on his leg. He shifts her into one arm and has one hand under her wing and looks at her again. “Alright, we can leave now. But first,” He looks around. “I noticed you don’t have my shawl on you. I assume those vile creatures took it and possibly tore it up.”

The infant understood “shawl” and wiggled in his arms, wanting to be let down. Once she is on the ground, she wanders over to a tree and digs at something on the ground. She looks up at Sihir when he limps over and she pulls out a large piece of cloth, shredded and dirty. The child looks back up at Sihir, feeling ashamed when he sighs and she steps back to let him pick up what remains of the shawl. She chirps apologetically as she dips her head, only to lift her head back up when a hand rests gently on the knuckle of her stone limb.

“It’s not your fault, child, don’t feel bad.” Sihir slings the tattered cloth onto his shoulder and lifts her off the ground, putting as much strength into his upper body and biceps as he can just to pick her up, murmuring ‘up we go’ under his breath, then sets her on his forearm and tucked one hand under her wing. “We’ll see about making a new one once we get back home. Fyn might have some sewing materials I can borrow.” He said to himself as he walked down the path, set for home.

The child leans her head on the Inuwa’s shoulder and closes her eyes, lulled by the sound of his voice. The last thing she saw before taken over by sleep was rays of sunlight shining down, casting a warm glow on the melancholy woods.

…

She awoke to the sound of rustling when she rubs her cheek on whatever she was laying on, but it didn’t feel like fur. It was flatter. Blinking open her eyes, her vision was blurred from sleep, but a few blinks later her vision clears and she finds herself in a new space. It was enclosed and is decorated in various things she’s never seen before. Flat objects stuck to the wood walls had items sitting on top of them, and on one side of the enclosed space were baskets stacked on top of each other, and tucked away in a gap on the wall was a medium-sized circular object elevated off the ground that looked like it was made of stone. Above her head, tufts of feather-like stuff tied to sticks glowed from an outside light shining on them, the light filtering through the semi-transparent cover that hid the room from the outside world. In the middle of the room hung glowing plants that grew from below a wooden object that was attached to something thin that was connected to the roof. She noticed it was warmer here and was more comfortable than the coldness of the Silent Woods. She feels.. safe. 

After observing new surroundings, the child shuffled to the edge of the cozy nest she was in and looked down, the ground looked to be far from reach but she brings a stone limb over the edge and leaned forward until the foot touched the ground, then pulls the other limb over until both were firmly planted before using her legs to scoot forward. She slips off the elevated nest and stands still suddenly. Something was missing. She realized she was alone and started whimpering. Sihir is nowhere to be seen. After today’s events, she’s afraid to be alone, but she doesn’t know where Sihir could be.

She was about to call out for him before she saw a crack in the room and light filtering in. The child walks over to the light in the wall and found out that it can be opened, so she pushed her beak through and nudged her head between the movable and immovable walls, then she was able to push the movable wall open with her head and squeaked in surprise when the light shone brightly in her face, causing her to flinch and back away into the shade where she began seeing blotches in her eyes, which soon fade after a few blinks. She looked back to the exit and saw the world was much brighter outside, more colorful. 

There’s hardly a single bit of grey, all the trees are full of leaves and the ground is covered in tufts of… fur? The child took hesitant steps to the edge of the doorway and glanced outside. The birds were singing, the trees whispered in the wind, and something else she couldn’t see was chirping away in the bushes. 

Then she hears a familiar voice manifest over everything else. The calmness of the tone, soft like the fur she held onto a while ago. She immediately began bouncing in place before leaving the entryway to look for the source of the voice. Luckily, she didn’t have to go far when she spotted Sihir walking past the trees, talking to someone she couldn’t see until they got closer and saw a pair of ears bobbing from behind the foliage. She almost didn’t recognize Sihir with his mask off, but she knew it was him from the ear tufts and blue frills. The infant tilts her head curiously and waddles towards the Inuwa and the new stranger, squeaking joyfully as she quickened her pace.

The squeaking catches Sihir and Miki’s attention and they look to see the stone-borne child approaching them, her eyes shining with glee and her gait showing joy. Sihir chuckled and knelt down to greet the owlet. “I was just coming back to check on you,” He winced when the owlet butts her forehead against his leg a little too hard. That’s going to leave a bruise. He pats her back and gets her to look up before he motions over to Miki. “This is Miki. She’s a very sweet Moki, and she was coming back with me to meet you.”

The child turns her head to the new stranger and tilts her head. The stranger looks familiar somehow.

Miki smiles warmly and waves a paw. “Hi there, sweetheart.” She spoke sweetly. Up close, she can see that the stone covering the child’s body was smooth and that the stone was covered in dust and mud, and the child reeked of rot. She tried not to scrunch her face up from the smell for it would possibly break the little one’s heart. The large, curious eyes watching her remind her a lot of how her pups would stare with their wide eyes at something new. There is absolutely nothing different about this child that she can see. Physically, yes, but the wonder they have is the same as with any other child. Sihir was right. This is just a normal infant who was just scared but wanted love. Had he not seen them that night, they would’ve grown up alone, and who knows how they would’ve ended up.

The owlet blinked when Miki waved her paw. She imitates the motion by wiggling her talons, earning a giggle from the Moki, and the child giggles back. She stretches a leg out to reach for Miki and chirps happily when the Moki gives her a paw to hold, stamping the ground.

A wide smile grows on Miki’s face. “What a sweet thing.” She says as she pats the owlet’s talons.

“They are.” Sihir replies. Warmth swells in his chest from seeing the interaction between them. He has a feeling they’re going to be good friends.

“Do they have a name?” Miki asked.

“As in, had I thought of one?” Sihir said with a head tilt.

The Moki nodded.

“Ah. Well, I’ve been trying to think of one. I’m not great with thinking of names.” The Inuwa looks off to the side, thinking.

“I can understand that. I didn’t think of Ebby’s name until two days later. You’re in no rush, Sihir, but if you want me to help, I can.”

“I’d appreciate that.” He looks back at Miki with a thankful sigh.

Miki’s smile mellowed, then hums to herself while patting the owlet’s talons. “Well, we can’t tell if they’re a boy or girl, so we should think of something that’s neutral.”

“Hm,” Sihir nodded in agreement, then squinted his eye. Nothing is coming to mind.

“What about Briar?” Miki spoke up after a beat of silence. She and Sihir look at the infant for her opinion.

The stone-borne child looked at them both, tilting her head.

Nothing from her. Both resume thinking. 

“Shhhae?” Sihir said, raising his shoulders.

The child shook her head, displeased. Not that name.

Miki and Sihir have tried several more names, neither of them seems to be liked by the owlet. The Inuwa gives out an exhausted groan and runs a hand over his face. 

“*Eish’a, anak,” He mumbled to himself, speaking a language unfamiliar to neither the owlet nor the Moki. “This could take a while...”

“As I said, you’re in no rush. It could take a couple more days before--” Before Miki could finish her sentence, she felt her arm moving up and down and looked to the infant, who was still holding her paw, to see her bouncing. “Well now, what’s gotten you all excited?” She spoke similarly to how mothers talk when a child is happy. She saw how the owlet was looking at Sihir and looked up at him, then back to her. “What, did he say something you liked?”

“A-a!” The child said.

“‘A-a’?” Miki moves her head back with a slight tilt.

The child jumped, speaking loudly this time without looking away from Sihir. “A-a!”

The Moki and Inuwa glance at each other, confused about the child’s sudden vocal behavior. Then Miki leans over and asks, “What did you say in that funny language?”

“...‘Eish’a anak’--” He pauses when the realization hits. “Oh.”

“A-a, A-a!” The little owlet chanted. 

“‘Anak’, what’s what you said, yes?” Miki asked.

“Yes, but--” Sihir rubs the back of his neck. “It’s not really a name.”

“Well, now it is,” Miki said, her chest puffing out and tail curled.

Sihir shrugs with a smile. “I guess it can be now.” He looks to the owlet. “So you like Anak?”

Bobbing her head up and down, Anak squeaked in confirmation that she does, indeed, like the newly made name.

“Then that’s their new name!” Miki announced with her arms outstretched. She relaxes and turns to Anak. “We should give you a proper welcome into our home. I can gather my pups and see if we can have a little playdate, then introduce you to everyone else.”

Anak tilts her head with a blink and looks to Sihir, who nodded at Miki.

“I think we can make it work. We just need to be careful about who we introduce them to.” Sihir’s voice lowered.

“Ah, yes… Unfortunately, not everyone will be on board about this. Let’s just get everyone we can trust together first, yeah?”

“Sounds good.” He stood up and stretched out. 

“Good! I shall get everyone ready. You should get the little one all cleaned up, they need a good bath.”

“Yes, they do. All that mud and ash must be so uncomfortable.” Sihir looks down at Anak, who looks up at him curiously.

Miki smiled and bounded away, then stopped and turned to look back. “I will see you when you get there!” Then she leaped behind a bush and was gone from view.

“Alright then, Anak,” Sihir clapped his hands together. “Let’s get you all cleaned up.”

Anak tilted her head nearly fully upside down as she blinked. What did Sihir and Miki have planned? She’s so curious now. So many new things are happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this done way sooner than I thought. I got a burst of ideas and energy for this and I got a lot written yesterday until I had to stop at nearly 2 am. Wish I had this energy all the time. :'>
> 
> I do feel comfortable with this, so hopefully it's as good as I think it is.
> 
> *"Eish'a, anak" translates to "Goodness, child" in Inuwanese


End file.
